Island Living

"All of my books are about achieving the isolation that our culture tells us should make us happy. Someone has gotten onto an island or into a high-rise condo and is completely cut off from all 'the jerks' in the world. That's supposed to make them happy, but they are more miserable than they ever were."
Chuck Palahniuk, author. From an interview in Relevant Magazine, Sept. 2004

I think this is a great illustration of much of the church in America in recent history. We somehow thought that isolating ourselves from culture and people that aren't like us and that we frankly, just consider 'the jerks' in the world, would make us not only happier, but holier.

Now, it's easy for me to lob that insult at other Christians, especially 'older' ones (because, of course, we younger ones are all missional and authentic and all that, you know). It's harder to admit that too often the isolating myself in my little happy Jesus box is my own "modus operandi". When given the choice of hanging out with friends that laugh at my jokes, other believers that understand my "Christianese", and acquaintances that willingly make polite conversation OR talking to people who don't agree with, get, or even like my humor, lingo, and beliefs, the obvious choice is the one I mostly choose.

The thing is--always interacting with like-minded souls gets pretty boring. It's like discussing a movie that you've all seen a few times. You can only go "remember the part where he..." and "wasn't it cool how she..." so many times and then the only way to go on is to overanalyze it and interpret it with your own cool, new spin. "I thought that was symbolic of..." or "I think the deeper meaning of that part is..." You could keep trying to one-up each other with your great new insights on it, but then it kind of becomes all about you--all about your thoughts on it, your opinions and interpretations of it--and none of it is real life.

Chuck Palahniuk goes on to say about his miserable characters, "So they create circumstances-whether or not they are aware of it-which force them on a quest to reconnect with people." A quest to reconnect with people is a great way to describe the gospel. We create circumstances, whether or not we are aware of it, when we stop looking at other people as "the jerks" and instead treat them as people that God created and deems worthy of care. I can strike up a conversation with that waiter that I see all the time. I can take time to listen to my neighbors and invite them into my life and world. I can ask that co-worker how his weekend trip went. And in doing so, I begin the quest for reconnection. Eventually, maybe, they will like me, get my humor, and even understand the lingo. Or maybe they won't. But it will be real life. So you can sit on your island or stay in your high-rise condo. I think going on a quest sounds a lot more exciting.